Olmesartan with azelnidipine versus with trichlormethiazide on home blood pressure variability in patients with type II diabetes mellitus

The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of olmesartan combined with azelnidipine versus olmesartan combined with trichlormethiazide, on home blood pressure (BP) and pressure variability in type II diabetes mellitus patients using home BP telemonitoring system. We performed an open-label cross-over pilot study of 28 patients with type II diabetes mellitus. Patients received combination treatment with either olmesartan 20 mg plus azelnidipine 16 mg or olmesartan 20 mg plus trichlormethiazide 1 mg for more than 6 weeks each in a cross-over method. The coefficient of morning systolic BP variability in the olmesartan plus azelnidipine group was significantly lower than that in the olmesartan plus trichlormethiazide group (6.4 ± 1.9 vs. 7.5 ± 2.6, P = .004). There were no significant differences in mean morning systolic BP between the two groups. Using home BP telemonitoring for hypertensive patients with type II diabetes, this study revealed for the first time that the olmesartan with azelnidipine combination is superior to the olmesartan with trichlormethiazide combination in reducing home BP variability.